Dates of Lok Sabha Election to be announced today

The Election Commission of India has said that the dates for 2024 Lok Sabha election will be announced on Saturday at 3pm. The ECI posted a brief statement on social media platform X that said dates for four Assembly polls - scheduled to be held around the same time - would also be released.

This announcement comes as the term of the current Lok Sabha nears its end on June 16th.

In 2019, the election was held over seven phases from April 11 to May 19 and the results were declared after four days.

In April/May, there will be elections in four states - Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim; Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand scheduled to vote later this year. Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, are also set to vote, in line with a Supreme Court order directing the conduct of Assembly polls by September 30 as the first step towards restoration of statehood.

In a first, the poll panel has given 24-hour notice of a press conference to announce voting dates, polling phases, and other details, including deployment of security personnel in states where post-poll violence and clashes with Maoist or rebel forces is a factor that needs to be considered.

Bengal's ruling Trinamool has already underlined its position, calling for a single-phase election for the state's 42 seats and demanding central security forces not "threaten/intimidate voters".